This Wound Burns
by SilverKovu
Summary: The Foot Ninja ruined me and Don's search for machine parts, they gave Don a concussion, broke my elbow pad, and to top it all off, I just happened to split my foot open on accident. Sheesh, can this day get any worse? Wait, don't answer that... (Two-shot)
1. The Attack

Alright, I admit it. Going topside without Leo and Raph probably wasn't the smartest idea ever, but it's not like me and Don asked for a bunch of Foot Ninja to come looking for us. Okay, so it was totally expected considering they always seem to appear at the most inconvenient times. Still, it's not like we had a choice or anything. Don needed some parts to build some complicated machine that I had no chance of even describing, and to do so required some scavenging around the city. The Foot just so happened to be prancing around the area we were in, which brings us to where we are now. Yeah, you called it, we were definitely about to engage them in a fight. It was only a matter of who would strike first.

A sudden flash to my right told me that the Foot were going to be the one's starting the party. Heh, if only this was an actual party. I could really go for some pizza right now. I hadn't had any since breakfast. Which reminded me… Raph was so gonna pay for eating one of my leftovers!

"Mikey, look alive!"

Slightly startled, I looked over to Don and saw him knock two ninjas off their feet. He was just about to send a third one soaring when a katana nearly jabbed me in the side. Luckily, my quick reflexes saved me from being stuck like a pig. I maneuvered around the weapons being slashed at me and drew out my chucks, swinging them in wide motions.

I managed to knock two guys down at once, but there was two more a few feet away who seemed to be eyeing my chucks warily. They were probably trying to decide the best way to get in hitting range without getting whacked upside the head by the spinning weapons of doom.

"I haven't got all night, dudes!" I said loudly, trying to coax them into attacking me out of irritation. They were more likely to throw some sloppy shots if they were fighting with just their emotions. Grabbing a garbage can lid off a pile of trash, I beamed it at one of them. It caught him in the torso, taking him down immediately. The other ninja watched his fellow Foot fall to the ground, giving me the opportunity to sneak up on him.

"London bridge is falling down!" I yelled just before I whacked him upside the head. He tottered awkwardly for a few feet and then tumbled by the brick wall. Once sure that no one was getting back up, I looked over to Don to see how he was doing. By the looks of it, he seemed to have everything under control. Or so I thought.

Just when victory seemed to be upon us, two more groups of Foot ninja came gliding in. They pounced without warning, hardly giving me time to do a quick check over my brother to see if he was okay. I swung my arm to the side to avoid being caught up in one of their lasso like chains, ultimately putting me in another conflict with a ninja who was wielding a kunai. He was extremely fast in all of his movements. Kind of like a cobra striking in defense. I was practically dancing around him, trying to find an opening so that I could throw him back, but he wasn't making it easy for me.

He aimed for my throat and I only had a few seconds to drop to the ground to avoid the attack. Lucky for me, his momentum was carrying him further than he probably expected, giving me the opportunity to send him flying by kicking him with both of my feet.

"Have a nice trip, see you next fall!" I managed to say just before another katana came in my line of vision. I tried jumping out of his aim, but I accidentally tripped over a fallen Foot, giving the ninja just enough time to slice my right arm. The blade swept by so fast that it was able to swiftly cut right through the band of my elbow pad. It clattered to the ground.

"Watch it! Are you trying to kill me or something?" Wait… "You know what, don't answer that."

The fight went on. It was a lot of weapon on weapon for the most part, but there were times when using my fists or my feet became more effective. Then there was the occasional taunt that would obviously get on the Foot's nerves. I think they all wanted to skewer my heart on an open fire when I started teasing them about their outfits and fighting skills. I got a deep gash on my shoulder for that one. Other than that and the arm wound, I didn't really receive any major damage to my body. Sure, I got slugged in the face once or twice, but bruises were hardly anything to worry about.

Then, before I knew it, the fight was over. The Foot littered the ground like a bunch of dead flies, none of them bothering to attempt at getting back up. I sighed in relief and slowly put my 'chucks away, ready to just get the shell out of there and to go home. My arm was stinging horribly and my face wasn't feeling too hot either. I was betting that Don probably felt the same way.

My eyes widened when I saw him leaning heavily against his bo staff. His knee's were shaking and it looked like he had a knot on the side of his head. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion.

"Don!" I raced to his side and carefully helped him sit on the ground. He complied with little resistance which pretty much confirmed that he was having a hard time getting a grip on his thoughts. "Can you speak to me, bro? What hurts?"

I kept on pestering him and looking him over for any more wounds until he clasped his hand around my wrist. Surprised by the action, I instantly looked at his face. He licked his lips a few times and then tried to speak.

"I… I feel really dizzy," he said slowly, clutching at his head. I had to stop him before he brushed his hand over the ugly forming welt that was causing his disorientation. "We need to get home, Mikey." He glanced at the Foot on the ground, obviously worried that more of them would come, or that the beaten ones would wake up and try something.

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, no kidding." I slung his arm around my shoulders, trying not to flinch as it rubbed against the gash I had. Hopefully he was too out of it to even notice. "Alright, you ready to stand up?"

Don was silent for a few seconds, making me wonder why. It wasn't until I noticed his frustrated look that I realized that he couldn't even get to his feet. They were still shaking slightly, so it was pretty obvious that I'd basically just be dragging him across the rooftops. That kind of left only one solution then.

"Mikey!" Don flailed uselessly as I hefted him up onto my shoulder in a fireman carry. "Put me down right now!"

I laughed a little and quickly snatched my elbow pad off the ground, tucking it into my belt where it had little chance of falling off. Don was weakly struggling against me, so he didn't even notice that the small piece of my padding was covered in blood.

"I don't think so big bro. You must be out of your mind if you think that you have a chance of getting anywhere with your jello legs." I made sure we hadn't left anything behind before I headed towards the ladder that would take us to the top of the buildings. Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was stepping, so I ended up putting my foot down on the top of a shuriken that was embedded into the ground. It cut in deep.

"Ouch!" I hissed through clenched teeth, slowly easing my foot away from the sharp object. I could already feel blood streaming out of the wound slowly. It burned all at once, almost making me cry out as it throbbed painfully.

"What is it?" Don asked immediately, his tone as alert as it could be in his current condition. "Are you hurt?"

"No," I lied, willing him to not see the bloody prints I was sure to leave behind as I walked. "Don't worry about it. Your fat shell is crushing me is all."

Don snorted in disbelief, but didn't question it further. He seemed to nod off here and there as I climbed and walked back to the way that would take us home. I tried talking to him, using a loud tone, so he wouldn't be as tempted to fall asleep. I wasn't too savvy with medical knowledge, but I did know that people shouldn't sleep when they had a concussion. So it was my job to be annoying as possible just so that he could focus on my voice. I'd say I was doing a pretty good job of it if the forming grooves in my skin made by Don's fingers was any indication.

Through all of this my arm and foot were stinging to a high extent. I tried not to pay attention to them, but it was kind of hard to ignore when they felt so heavy and grimy. The blood on my arm was basically just drying up now, but my foot had no time to heal with me walking on it. I was just hoping that it wouldn't get infected.

Sighing heavily, I adjusted Don on my shoulder. He groaned and tightened his grip on the edge of my shell, not wanting to move too much. He told me about a block ago that he still felt like everything was spinning. That was probably due to the fact that he wasn't in an upright position, and that I was carrying him across different heights. It made me wish that we had never decided to venture out so far away from our main sewer entrances in the first place. Usually in situations like these, I'd just have Leo bring the battle shell to come get us, but it was out of commission due to a recent mission that involved a lot of explosions. Not that Leo could get us anyways. He pulled a tendon in his leg just two days ago and Master Splinter had him on house arrest. Raph couldn't help us either. He and Casey were drag racing and wouldn't be back until later tonight. What rotten luck.

Speaking of things that were rotten…

"Mikey, incoming!"

Yep, the Foot found us again. Surprise, surprise. But seriously, these guys didn't usually track us down twice in one night unless they were given specific orders to destroy us or something. I wasn't even sure how they managed to catch up with us so quickly until I noticed my bloody foot trail, which they obviously followed. I suddenly felt incredibly stupid for not having wrapped my foot in the first place. Not only had I led them to us, but I almost lead them straight to our lair. If Raph were here I knew he'd probably be calling me a shell for brains right about now. Smooth, Michelangelo, real smooth.

"Sit tight, bro." I gently set Don against the wall and placed his bo staff on his lap, just in case. "Don't worry, you've got the Battle Nexus Champion defending you! I can take out these goons with my eyes closed!"

The end of Don's weapon scraped against the ground. If his head wasn't so foggy then I knew he'd probably be rolling his eyes right now. "Not that I don't have faith in your abilities, Mikey…" he said, trying to stand up. "But I think it would be better if we fought together."

I could see how much strain he was putting on his legs to try and get himself to stand up properly. However, his concussion was having a pretty heavy effect on him, so he stumbled over himself and slid back to his original position. A strange whimper-like sound escaped his mouth, and it instantly filled me with the desire to protect him at all costs. Besides, him and the others were always saving my shell, so it was about time that I stepped up to the plate and did the same for them.

My hands grasped the ends of my 'chucks. "Dude, I'm a ninja. I'm pretty sure I've got this covered," I winked at him before turning around, facing the Foot Ninja that were slowly closing in. There was no way I'd let them anywhere near my brother.

"Come at me bug eyes!" I started swinging my weapons, waiting for one of them to initiate the start of the fight. A group to the right seemed to look at each other before they shot forward. I waited with all the patience I could muster until they were in the perfect spot. That's when I made my move. The guy in the front got the brunt of the attack, but I'm sure the other three guys felt just as bad when their heads smacked into the concrete. Heh.

Sensing someone coming up behind me, I lifted my good foot up into the air and stood on my bad one. Once I felt that they were within range, I pivoted on my heel and slammed it into the ninja's shoulder, sending him careening off to the side. The next two attackers made a mad dash towards me, but I quickly took them out with swift hits from my 'chucks. Sadly, not all of them were so easy to take down.

One ninja in particular was starting to give me trouble. He had a chain whip and he was definitely putting it to good use. While I was fending off one goon, he'd come up behind me and whip the back of my legs, or sometimes he'd snap at my arms if he was lucky. I was quickly getting fed up with it. Plus, Don was getting frantic every time I was hit. I couldn't have him trying to help me in his state, so I needed to finish these guys off quick before he did something rash.

I got a good opportunity when the chain user decided to take another strike at me. I was prepared this time, so I was able to defend myself with my 'chuck. His chain wrapped around my chain and I quickly snapped the line towards myself, making the ninja stumble forward. Since he was so off balance, I was able to jerk the chain out of his hand. He didn't have long before I tossed one of my chucks at him, effectively knocking him out cold.

My small victory was short lived due to the fact that I was sent flying through the air, landing somewhere near Don. I was able to roll out of the fall, causing minimal damage to myself. A few scrapes wouldn't kill me.

"Don, bo, now!" I commanded, holding my hand out. I couldn't help but feel a little bit like Leo while saying that.

My purple masked brother didn't even question it. He had to focus on me for a second before he managed to toss me his weapon. I gripped it and used it as leverage to swing myself on top of three Foot who had been sitting pretty idly up until that point. That done, I back flipped onto a nearby ledge, giving myself some distance. There was only five ninja left and they were all closing in on me, not even bothering with Don. That's all they did though. They didn't try and rush me or anything. They just made a half circle around me, seeming to be waiting for something…

And then I knew. But I was too slow to dodge the secret sixth ninja that had been hiding. He jumped me from the side, throwing all of his weight at me so that I had no chance of keeping any of my balance. We fell off the building. My stomach took a trip to my feet.

"MIKEY!"

I opened my previously closed eyes at the sound of Don's panicked voice. It was almost as if hearing him say my name gave me a personal energy boost. I blindly swung my 'chuck outwards, praying that it would latch onto something. I swear, if I ever come in contact with the person who created the clothes line than I will share a box of pizza with them. My weapon managed to tangle itself around the line, allowing me to slide to the next building safely. I was kind of stuck in that position for a few seconds until I managed to get a hold of a windowsill. From there on out, I was able to pull myself up and onto the building.

My relief was short lived when I saw the Foot advancing on the struggling Don. He had managed to crawl to his bo staff, but I doubted he'd be able to land an effective hit from the angle he was at. I needed to get to the other building, and the only way I'd be able to manage that was to just take a running start and jump across. I would've cut the clothes line and just swung over like Tarzan, but nunchaku didn't really have the same cutting ability as a blade.

I'd need enough momentum to carry me to the other side, so I hurried to the opposite side of the building, turned, and imagined myself trying to outrun a cheetah. Once I got to the ledge, I shoved off it with all the power I could muster. The familiar thrill that came with being air born came over me as I passed over the gap and successfully landed on the other side. Only, I didn't land on my feet. I ended up spinning across the roof on my shell, but at least I was going towards them.

"Soar like a butterfly!" I twisted my 'chuck around one of the ninja's ankles and pulled his feet out from under him. "Sting like a bee!" I hopped back onto my feet and grinned at the remaining Foot. Only four to go. "Alright, who's next?"

The katana flying towards my face was so unexpected that I nearly tumbled onto my side trying to avoid it. Luckily, I was able to regain my balance, but I was too slow to dodge the kick to my face. I flew backwards and only had a second to move before a blade embedded itself into the ground where my face would have been.

"Wow, okay," I quickly crawled away. "Did you guys get a battery recharge or something?" I yelped as a kunai nicked the skin above my left kneepad. "Touchy, touchy. Looks like you could use a little more practice with that, dude."

Alright, so maybe insulting them wasn't the best idea, but to be honest, I wasn't sure how far my adrenaline was going to take me. I could feel my limbs tiring and my energy was starting to hit the down low. I needed to get rid of these guys as soon as possible so that I'd be able to save enough strength to carry Don back home. Man, it really sucked being the responsible one. After all of this was over, I just might reflect on my new level of respect for Leo's ability to do this on a daily basis.

The two ninjas attacked me at the same time, seeming to have decided to team up on me. I managed to block one of their hits, but the other ninja got the upper hand on me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed his knee into my thigh, giving me a dead leg.

"Ow!" My leg instantly went numb. I could still walk on it, but moving it at all was awkward and painful. Dead leg's were bitches like that. "That's gonna bruise."

Before I had a chance to get into a defensive position, the ninja with the katana hooked his blade around my 'chuck and flung it far away from me. I listened to it clatter to the ground before I ducked a punch meant for my face.

"Easy!" I grunted, knocking one of them out. "I know you're jealous of my pretty face, but that doesn't mean you have to try and break it!"

The katana wielder, the only Foot left for me to fight, seemed to scoff behind his mask. He charged at me so fast that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move in time to avoid being sliced like a watermelon. Something flashed behind him and I didn't know what it was until I heard a familiar voice say:

"Don't touch my brother!"

A bo wrapped in purple bands swung into the Foot ninja's gut, making him crumble instantly. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke a rib from that hit. It looked like he had the breath knocked right out of him.

Looking up, I had never been more relieved to see Donatello. He still looked a little bit disoriented, but he was standing. And it looked like he had managed to take out the other two ninja as well. Sweet!

"Don!" I cheered happily, dragging me and my numb leg over to him. He smiled widely and placed his hand on the back of my neck comfortingly. I wrapped my good arm around him and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Boy am I glad to see your ugly face!"

He snorted and passed me his bo, obviously meaning for me to use it as a walking stick. "Gee, what a great way to thank someone for saving your shell." He nudged me slightly, silently telling me that we needed to get out of here. "Besides, I thought Raph was the ugly one."

We quickly gathered up my 'chucks and made sure that neither of us were dragging blood behind us. My foot seemed to have stopped quite a while ago. I probably stepped in a bunch of crap that clogged it up for the moment.

"He is," I assured, grinning slightly. "But I figured, since he's not here, that you'd just have to deal with being the unattractive one until we see him again."

Don glanced over my face and bit his lip. "I don't know, Mikey…" His lip curled in amusement. "Considering your face looks like a bruised peach right now, I think it's safe to say that, out of the two of us, you're definitely the worst looking."

Well, it was probably the truth. I did happen to get hit in that area quite a lot tonight. On the bright side, it wasn't hurting that much, but that was probably because my brain was having a hard time deciding which pained limb to focus on first. I sighed loudly. "Yeah, yeah. No need to remind me."

We were finally able to leave the building, though not as fast as we would have liked to. I was too sluggish and bruised to move at a fast pace, and Don couldn't speed up or else he'd get too dizzy. So we handled the situation as best as we could. Don rested his arm around my shoulder and we walked on.

* * *

A/N - Writing fight scenes is mentally draining! But I did it, so whatever. Anyhow, I hope you all liked this. There is going to be another chapter where Mikey and Don make it home and all that jazz. I just thought right here would be a good place to stop.

This is my first time writing a story for this fandom. So this is kind of just practice for me. Hopefully, I'll get better at portraying the characters and what not.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review letting me know what you thought.


	2. Doctor, Doctor!

Breathe in. Breathe out. That was basically the only thing I was thinking of while walking the last block towards the sewer entrance. I never really tuned into Splinter's whole 'calm your breathing' lectures, but I'd definitely start to after tonight. There wasn't much else for me to focus on except for Don's reoccurring mumbles. His head was resting on my shoulder and I was carrying the rest of him in my arms. He had to stop walking after we got away from the area the Foot were in. I wasn't sure about the whole concussion ordeal, but I was scared he'd hurt himself worse if he kept moving around, so I forcefully scooped him up to keep him still. I was just thankful that he wasn't nearly as bulky as Raph because then I'd practically be buckling underneath him.

It wasn't until I dropped into the safety of the sewers did I start to wonder about Leo's reaction to all of this. Him freaking out and blowing things out of proportion was pretty much a given. Especially since Don looked like a limp, beat up doll. I mean, really, when did Don ever get injured to the point where he could hardly walk? It was pretty rare considering he fought at a distance due to the length of his bo staff. It didn't give the enemy much of a chance to land a hard blow on him. Which means one of those Foot Ninja got a lucky shot.

I grinned a little. "Raph's gonna throw a riot once he gets a look at us." Because he totally was. Raph got ticked off over the littlest things, but something like this was basically giving him an actual reason to act like an over emotional, hot headed, violent jerk. He'd be yelling and busting his knuckles up as soon as he heard the word Foot. Heh, what a guy.

Now humming tunelessly to myself, I maneuvered around a pile of trash and walked towards the opening of the lair. Most of the lights seemed to be on and I could hear the TV from out here. Leo was probably watching some boring documentary about the history of swords or something like that. I could definitely see him dozing off on the couch, resting his leg against a pillow. He had one of those ice hot patches over the area of his strained tendon and was flicking the corner of it in a lazy manner. He stopped as soon as he heard me walking in, and he immediately turned around, causing me to freeze in place. Shock quickly overtook his features.

"Hey dude," I greeted casually, aware that he was about to start interrogating me. "How's that leg of yours? Has Splinter got anything cooking? Raph home yet? Let me - "

"What happened to you?" Leo practically shouted, disregarding all of my questions. His eyes scanned over me and kept getting wider and wider as he took in account of Don as well. I wasn't at all surprised when he started hollering for Splinter. Leo could be calm at the best of times, but he was always a little more frantic when one of us came waltzing into the lair with an air of nonchalance when we were obviously injured. It was because it always threw him off guard completely. It's not like he expected us to come home looking all bruised and mangled. Well, not _all_ the time, anyways.

"What's wrong with Don? Is he okay?"

He probably noticed that my knee's were starting to shake from the effort of supporting our purple masked brother, so he immediately took him from my arms and laid him out on the couch. Smiling thankfully at him, though he couldn't see it with his back turned, I rolled my shoulder and tried to ignore the throbbing that came from it.

"Should just be a concussion," I said, finding it slightly amusing how he seemed to have an internal debate with himself about which of us he should help first. The unconscious one, or the bloody one. "You might want to check out that knot on his head, bro. Can't have his genius spilling all over the place."

Leo looked a little more anxious now. He eyed the blood on my skin for a few more seconds before nodding stiffly. It was obvious he'd feel much better if he knew the extent of my wounds as well, but I guess he realized I'd be okay since I was still joking around and what not.

While he took the time to make sure Don was adjusted properly, I wandered into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of milk. I was so thirsty all of a sudden. I didn't even care that the milk was icy; I downed it like I needed it to live. It was only when I felt Splinter's hand on my shoulder did I realize that I had nearly finished the entire carton. Whoops. Now I'd need to go to the store and buy some more.

"Michelangelo," Splinter gently turned me around to face him. He watched me with masked worry, gazing at my injuries with unease. "My son, please join your brothers so that we may tend to your wounds. Also, I wish for you to explain how you and Donatello attained them in the first place."

I watched him for a second, looking at the sudden tense position of his shoulders, and the slight twitch of his fingers. He was obviously good at restraining his emotions, but there were always small movements of his that made them more obvious at times. I regarded him with a slight nod and then moved to the other room. I took my glass with me.

Leo looked at me as soon as I joined him by the couch. He had Don's medical kit next to him and was pulling gauze and disinfectant spray out of it. I was so not looking forward to having that on my cuts. I hated how it made them sting. I didn't really have a choice though. As soon as I settled myself on the floor, I could tell that Leo planned on using a lot of it on me. Stupid Foot Ninja.

"Tell me what happened, Mikey," Leo demanded. He was using his 'no kidding around' voice which meant that he was trying to play it cool on the outside, but he was actually freaking out on the inside. The big brother in him was concerned and the leader in him was assessing the situation. I was used to it, so it didn't really bother me all that much. If playing mother turtle made him feel better than I was willing to comply.

I tapped my fingers against my glass, suddenly noticing my broken elbow pad tucked between my belt. I took it out and flipped the broken strap around. The blood on it was dry, but it still looked fresh. It would be better to wash it off now instead of waiting until later. I knew Leo wouldn't want me leaving the room right now though. While wrapping Don's head wound, his gaze would wander over to me and to the blood all over my shoulder and arm. It then occurred to me that I had been quiet for way too long. Some fights did that to me. I'd just be so emotionally and physically exhausted afterwards that I just didn't feel like talking all that much, and my usual joking mood was lowered to an extent. Leo knew this, yet it didn't make him worry any less.

I cleared my throat. Leo looked at me. "It was the Foot," I said rather hesitantly, turning my head to look at the frozen bag of peas that Splinter was holding out to me. I stared at him in confusion until he gently pressed the frozen food against my face. Oh, right. I kind of forgot that the Foot painted it black and blue. I thanked him and took it from him so that he could start working on my other wounds. "Shouldn't we wait for Raph to get home before I tell you what happened?" I asked suddenly, causing both of them to blink.

"We can tell Raph later," Leo said, staring at me as if he thought I was a little off my rocker. Which, I just might have been. Getting knocked around by some ninja could do that to a guy once in a while.

Splinter took the wet rag he brought from the kitchen and started wiping off the blood on my arms, making sure to be careful so as to not hurt me. He briefly settled his hand on my head and stroked it comfortingly. I'd usually lack up all the attention he was giving me, but tonight I just wasn't feeling it. My mind was kind of scattered, so I wasn't too aware of his touch in the first place.

Master Splinter seemed to notice because he quickly went back to patching me up. He ignored my squirming and continued on with saying, "Leonardo is right my son. Please go ahead and tell us what happened."

Sighing tiredly, I stretched out my legs and ran my eyes over the small wound above my kneepad. Hopefully, it would be healed by tomorrow. I licked my lips. "Like I said," I began slowly. "We were attacked by the Foot while we were out looking for some machine parts. Me and Don were able to take them out, but not without getting a little roughed up first. I got my arms all cut up and Don got knocked upside the head. I'm pretty sure he just has a concussion. He said he was feeling really dizzy, so I picked him up and started to head home. Except I wasn't really paying attention to where I was walking, so I ended up stepping on a shuriken."

I looked at my hurt foot and noticed how ugly it looked in the light. It was a disgusting looking wound. The puncture marks were deep, covered in blood and dirt. I could hardly look at it without wanting to throw up. Master Splinter eased my foot onto his lap and examined it closely. He turned it this way and that, trying to see it from all angles. Once he was done, he placed it back on the floor as gently as he could. I could already tell by his expression that he didn't think it would heal with just some heavy wrapping.

"Your foot is badly injured, Michelangelo. I'm afraid it will need stitches to heal properly." Splinter looked at Don and then at Leo. "Leonardo, you must stitch it for him since Donatello is not able to do so. I trust that you will do your best to align it as neatly as possible."

Leo sewing my foot back up, uh… not sure that was too good of an idea, but it's not like I was gonna tell him that. Hey, I'd rather it be him than Raph. Well, I'd actually rather have Don do it, but he obviously can't, so Leo was the next best thing. At least, I think he was. It's kind of hard to place Leo when it comes to what he can and can't do. He's skilled in anything that has to do with fighting and all that comes with it, but he also sucks at things as simple as cooking. So it was hard to say whether or not he'd make a good seamstress.

Leo himself wasn't looking all too confident at the moment. I could see him looking at his fingers and just imagined how he was probably wondering how he was going to hold a little needle in them since they were so big and thick. But hey, if Don could maneuver a glass slide under a microscope then I'm sure Leo would be able to figure out a way to make it work.

I watched him as he shifted a little and opened his mouth to protest. "But Master Splinter," he rolled his shoulder nervously, like he was scared to disappoint our father with what he was about to say. "I don't know how to do that kind of stuff. The only time I've ever used a needle is when I stitched my book back up. And that didn't even come out looking good at all."

He was looking pretty nervous, so it was making me nervous that he was questioning his own ability to sew the holes in my foot back up. That wouldn't do. One of us needed to have the strong gut here, and it sure as shell wasn't going to be me. Seems like even Leo needed a little pep talk at times.

Trying not to groan about the whole situation, I placed my hand on his shell and smiled. "Chill out, bro. Just be like Chekov from _Star Trek_ and say 'I can do zat!' And just do it, ya know? I won't be mad if you jack my foot up."

Both Leo and Master Splinter just stared at me blankly. It always took them a second to understand what I was getting at sometimes. Don was usually the only one who got my Star Trek references right away. Although, Leo seemed to catch on quick enough because he smiled a little. I could practically see relief just seeping over his features like syrup sliding over hot pancakes. Mmm… pancakes. That actually didn't sound like a bad dinner. Leo would never go for it though, considering we'd just eaten some earlier that morning. Man, even without trying to be, he was a party pooper.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo said, attempting to hide a grin. "I promise I won't mess your foot up… too badly."

I laughed a little and smacked his leg playfully. "As long as I don't end up looking like Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I'll seriously jam your shell into a door or something, dude."

Leo snorted. "I'd like to see you try _little_ brother."

The light mood between us was interrupted by the sound of Don babbling something. Leo and Master Splinter instantly crawled closer to him to see if he would wake up fully. I know that once he was put on the couch, he dozed off a bit, which, I guess was okay… I mean, I think it's okay to let people who have concussions sleep for about two hours before they needed to be woken up. I didn't want him sleeping before, but since he was more stable at home, I felt a little better about letting him rest.

"Ngeh…" he groaned and rubbed at his eyes. "Mikey?"

Perking up at the mention of my name, I scooted over until I was within my brothers sight and gently placed my hand on his plastron. He smiled as if he was doped up on pain medication and glanced at my newly bandaged shoulder. Master Splinter still had to patch up the nasty slice on my arm, but that could wait a few more minutes.

"Donnie!" I cried cheerfully. "The zombies decided not to eat your brain after all!"

Beside me, Leo snorted. Don seemed to realize that I was just messing around with him because he just smiled it off. I couldn't help but notice how he hardly opened his eyes at all. The lights were probably giving him a major headache.

"That's great, Mikey." He placed a hand on his head and prodded at the gauze Leo had wrapped it with. "I'm not dying of a head injury am I?" He was mostly kidding, but I could tell that there was the tiniest bit of worry in his voice.

Splinter was quick to assure him. "No, you will be fine, Donatello. It seems to be nothing more than a minor concussion. Your brother has been keeping track of your symptoms since you were attacked, and he has so far explained that you were only experiencing some dizziness."

"And lack of balance," I piped in, trying to think of anything else he did that could be problematic. Nothing came to mind though. I don't remember him throwing up back on the rooftops or anything like that. "Don't worry, bro, you've been in good hands," I assured him. "And by that, I mean that I totally saved your shell back there! Like seriously, I was all: wham, boom, kapow!" To illustrate my point, I tried to throw a punch at Leo, but he easily dodged it and gave me an unimpressed look.

Don grinned a little. "You forgot to tell them about the part where you were thrown off a building."

"What?!"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly and waved Leo away as he visually began to check me over again. Sheesh, what a worry wart. My blue masked brother seriously needed a chill pill to calm his nerves down. He's been jumpier than a rabbit since we came home. I mean, I guess I can't blame him. I'd probably be just as worried if our roles were switched. The only difference would be how much better I'd be at hiding my concern.

"Don't worry about it," I said dismissively. "Me and clothes lines are pretty tight. We catch each other when we fall!"

Leo groaned and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the distinct sound of Raphael making his way inside. Oh great. Fireworks were sure to explode now. Raph always had interesting reactions when he saw me or anyone else in the family all beat up. He had a secret soft side that he rarely showed and it usually came out during situations like these. It was actually kind of cute, but don't tell him I said that. He'd use my head as a tetherball if he knew.

"Why are you guys standing in a circle?" Raph asked as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. "Mikey pee on the floor again?"

I felt my cheeks get hot. "One time, dude! One time!"

"Yeah well - " he suddenly stopped as he finally took in my appearance. Like Leo, he looked at all the wounds decorating my limbs, lingering on the large slice on my arm that still hadn't been bandaged yet. The vein in his neck was starting to make an appearance. "Mikey, what the shell happened to you!" He marched over with his hand outstretched, intending to check me over more closely, but froze when he noticed Don's collapsed form on the couch. "Don!"

Leo stopped him before he got too grabby and forced him to stand a few steps away from us. Raph, ticked off by the action, tried to bust his way past, but Master Splinter was quick to restrain him.

"Raphael, you must calm yourself!" Master Splinter chided. "Your brothers were forced to engage in a fight, but neither of them are seriously injured."

"Uh, hello!" Raph yelled, jerking his head towards me. "Correct me if I'm wrong, sensei, but I thought that was blood all over Mikey. Not ketchup!"

"Don't talk to Master Splinter like that, Raph," Leo glared. "Mikey and Don are fine. They're not dying, nor are they near that point, so just chill out."

Huh, weird. I was just thinking that Leo needed to chill out and here he is telling Raph to do the same thing. Maybe they both just needed a time out. Now that would make me happy. Leo wouldn't be breathing over my shoulder and Raph wouldn't be hogging the TV. Maybe if I was lucky than Master Splinter would make them do kata's for the next hour or something. Wishful thinking.

"Leo and Master Splinter are right, Raph," Don said, playing peacemaker despite his drowsy state. "Me and Mikey ran into the Foot while we were out, but I think we did more damage to them than they did to us."

I cleared my throat. "We, as in, mostly me, but still we." I grinned, ignoring the way Don rolled his eyes. Well, it was true.

Raph, seeming to have finally accepted that we would be okay, snorted. "Yeah right, knucklehead."

Disregarding his look of disbelief, I bent over to snatch my glass off the ground and let out a yelp when I applied too much pressure to my punctured foot. I raised it off the ground and balanced on one leg, whimpering pathetically.

"What, what is it?" Raph asked, instantly alarmed. He placed a hand on my shell and another on my arm to help me stay upright. I grabbed onto his shoulder and turned my foot over, internally sighing when I noticed that it was bleeding again.

"Leo, now would probably be a good time to sew this up," I said, looking up at my big brother with my famous puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah," he agreed, coming to my other side. "Let's get you to Don's lab. It'll be easier if you're lying down on something solid."

"Whoa, what?" Raph asked, getting riled up again. "Would somebody please fill me in on what happened?"

I laughed and bumped my shoulder against his. "Aw, who's a confused little Raphie? You are!"

He growled and shoved me into Leo, obviously fed up. He mumbled something about figuring it out later and then stomped his way over to the dojo. His poor punching bag. May it rest in… pieces.

Leo scoffed. "Whatever. Come on, Mikey, let's get you fixed up."

"Do we have to?" I whined, thinking about how painful it would be. I probably wouldn't even be able to walk for a whole week while the stitches healed. Ugh, the pain I go through for my bro's. Don so owed me.

"Unfortunately, yes," Leo said, putting my arm around his neck so he could support me. "How about we order some pizza so it'll be here once we're done."

I lifted my bad foot off the floor and rested my head against his shoulder.

"Did I ever tell you that you're my favorite brother? Cause, like, you so are."

"Why? Because I'm getting you pizza?"

I grinned against his arm. "Well, that, and because I know that you'll also let me have some pancakes for dessert…"

The reply was instant. "Absolutely not."

Ouch. Shut down. I pinched his arm playfully.

"Nevermind, I take it back. You probably had way too many timeouts when you were young, so that's why you're like how you are now," I said out loud, thinking back on how he needed to, as Raph so eloquently put it, take the stick out of his ass.

Leo blinked in confusion. "Mikey, what are you even talking about?"

I placed my hand over his mouth. "Hush, bro. I'm trying to have a revelation here."

"…"

* * *

A/N - Sorry this took so long to get out. Writing Leo's reaction to everything took me awhile to write, and then I had to think of how to portray Raphael. Not too sure how I did on him. Oh well, I can always practice more.

Anyhow, thanks to all of you who have reviewed/added this to your favorites. I appreciate it very much! If you'd be so kind as to leave a comment in the review box letting me know how I did on writing the characters than that would be awesome!

By the way, this story was based off the 2k3 version. Although, if you want, I guess it also works for the 2k12 version.


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